MOORESVILLE, NC – March 6, 2020 – In a response to fans’ increased interest in road-course races, Daytona International Speedway announced Thursday that the Busch Clash At DAYTONA will move to the speedway’s 3.56-mile road course and be held under the lights on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021 making the annual preseason NASCAR Cup Series event one of the most unique in all of motorsports.

The 2021 Busch Clash at DAYTONA, an exhibition-style event, will be held on the same course as the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and the DAYTONA 200, North America’s premier races for sports cars and motorcycles, respectively. Road-course racing has always been a vital component on the speedway calendar, with the Rolex 24 first held in 1962 as a three-hour race called the Daytona Continental while the DAYTONA 200 moved off the old Daytona Beach-Road Course to the speedway in 1961.

“The famed road course at Daytona has a long and storied history with sports cars and motorcycles, and now we can write a new chapter on it with stock cars,” NASCAR Vice President of Racing Development Ben Kennedy said. “Fans coming to the track will get to see six consecutive days of exciting NASCAR action, with no two days being the same.”

In contrast to the tightly packed competition on the speedway’s famed 2.5-mile high-back-tri-oval, the re-imagined Busch Clash will utilize approximately three-quarters of the tri-oval along with the challenging infield portion of the road course. That translates into 12 turns instead of the usual four.

“Having driven on the road course at Daytona in the Rolex 24, I know how difficult the circuit can be,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer and current FOX NASCAR analyst Jeff Gordon. “It will present a real challenge to the drivers and teams, and I’m looking forward to calling what I believe will be a lot of action from the booth.”

That challenge entails the high-speed entrance into Turn 1, as drivers dive left off the front straight to begin the twists and turns the infield offers, including the east and west Horseshoe turns and the trick negotiation of the back stretch chicane prior to a climb back atop the bank in Turn 3.

“NASCAR fans have asked for more road-course competition and the industry is listening,” Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile said. “With the talent level the Busch Clash brings to the table, the race will now clearly have its own look and feel during DAYTONA Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth in 2021 and beyond.

“The new placement on the Speedweeks schedule also adds to the anticipation. That switch will make for a fuller Speedweeks calendar. Fans also will have the opportunity to engage in a festive infield atmosphere, similar to the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, with many prime viewing opportunities.”

The Busch Clash At DAYTONA was held for the 42nd consecutive time on Sunday, February 9, featuring NASCAR Cup Series pole winners and playoff participants from the previous season, former Busch Clash champions and former DAYTONA 500 champions and pole winners who competed full time in 2019.

“Busch Beer is excited to play an integral role in this historic shift for NASCAR and its fans,” said Nick Kelly, vice president partnerships, beer category and community, Anheuser-Busch. “Moving the Busch Clash to Daytona’s road course will differentiate the event from every other race during DAYTONA Speedweeks and drive even more attention to the first NASCAR Cup Series race of 2021.”

“We know how passionate our viewers are about both Daytona International Speedway and road course racing,” said Brad Zager, FOX Sports Executive Producer, EVP/Head of Production & Operations. “Additionally, fans have been craving mid-week races. These changes to the 2021 opening slate of races will provide new and unique story-telling opportunities when we kick off the season on FOX Sports.”

In addition to the changes to the Busch Clash, it was also announced the Lucas Oil 200 Driven By General Tire ARCA Menards Series season-opening race shifts to Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 as part of a doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the NASCAR Racing Experience 300.

DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 10, to set the front row for the DAYTONA 500. The Bluegreen Vacations Duel at DAYTONA qualifying races will remain on Thursday night, Feb. 11, followed by the NextEra Energy 250 to open the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season on Friday night, Feb. 12.

Courtesy of Daytona International Speedway

DEARBORN, MI – April  21, 2020 – Maybe it was always destined that Kevin Harvick would one day end up driving a Mustang.

As a kid growing up in Bakersfield, CA, he would often go for rides with his aunt, who sported a 1960’s version that set the standard for what a muscle car is supposed to be.  Now, as driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, he gets to experience it like few others can.

His first on-track victory with Mustang came in 2018 when he won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but when Ford brought the world’s best-selling sports coupe to the Cup Series last year, he found it even more to his liking with four wins and a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

But that’s the only place you’ll see him driving a Mustang — at least for now.

With wife DeLana and children Keelan and Piper waiting for him at home, there are other more practical choices for the Harvick family.  And, like most parents who go through the sometimes-maddening exercise of switching out car seats between multiple vehicles, the final destination is the determining factor.

“I have an F-150 pickup and a Lincoln Navigator,” said Harvick when talking about what vehicles he drives most frequently around the house.  “It depends on the task at hand to be honest with you.  If we’re going to the go-kart track, it’ll be the pickup truck.  If we’re doing anything else on a daily basis, I’m gonna drive the Navigator.”

But whether it’s picking up Keelan at school or driving to the race shop, Harvick is no more immune to the construction delays and traffic tie-ups than the fans who cheer for him on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons.  As a result, he does the same thing many of them do by utilizing technology to his advantage.

“I think the thing I use the most is the GPS because with Charlotte having all the traffic, no matter where you’re coming from or going to, it’s nice being able to use that and all the hands-free pieces built into the vehicle,” said Harvick.  “For me, I’m a do not disturb guy on my phone as I drive, so having all that stuff on the screen is pretty handy to stay in tune with life as you’re driving along and not get stuck in traffic.”

The fact Harvick would have an F-150 as one of his vehicles shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who remember him behind the wheel of the racing version in what was then the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1999.  Driving for Liberty Motorsports, owned by Jim Herrick and Brad Daugherty, Harvick started all 25 races in the No. 98 F-150 that season and posted three runner-up finishes while ending up 12^th in the final point standings.

One of the trucks from that year has a special place in not only Harvick’s heart, but his personal collection of vintage race cars.

“That’s one of the cool pieces of my collection and was the last time I drove a Ford before we switched at SHR in 2017,” said Harvick of the truck nicknamed ‘Bully’.  “It was a truck that Butch Miller and Kenny Irwin drove before I got there.  We used it as a short track truck, and Butch actually won a race with it at Colorado National Speedway, so it has a lot of history.”

With his next Cup victory Harvick will become only the 14^th driver to register 50 career wins in NASCAR’s top series and give him another Mustang moment as memorable as the one from his youth.

Not to mention some added company for Bully.

*Courtesy Ford Performance

MOORESVILLE, NC – October 1, 2020 – Doug Yates , CEO of Roush Yates Engines, joins Nook and Ryan Barry from Stewart-Haas Radio’s podcast this week. The trio talk about heading into Doug’s favorite track, Talladega, this weekend, growing up in the sport of NASCAR, the evolution of engineering in the last 20 years, the Alabama Gang and many stories in between!

Click HERE and turn it up!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

*Courtesy Stewart-Haas Radio

MOORESVILLE, NC – March 6, 2020 – Team Penske announced today that it has signed Ryan Blaney to a multi-year extension, which will keep him an integral part of the organization for years to come.  The current NASCAR Cup Series points leader and driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang has been a member of Team Penske since 2012. During that time, he has earned three Cup Series victories and qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs in each of his three full-time seasons in the Cup Series.

“Ryan is a true talent with a long runway ahead of him and we are excited to have him as a part of the future of Team Penske,” said Roger Penske. “Since joining our team, Ryan has developed into a championship caliber driver and his personality and engagement with fans has made him a terrific ambassador for NASCAR.  In addition, Ryan has done a great job of working with our partners to support their activation and investment throughout each year. I am looking forward to even more success together.”

One of NASCAR’s rising stars, Blaney first joined Team Penske as a talented 18-year-old, competing in select NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races for the team. He earned his first victory for Team Penske with an NXS win at Kentucky in 2013.  He then captured his first Cup Series victory driving for the Wood Brothers in 2017 at Pocono Raceway before joining Team Penske as a full-time Cup Series competitor in 2018.  The now 26-year-old Blaney has generated a combined nine wins and seven poles since joining the organization in 2012.

“I’ve always said, it’s been a lifelong dream to be able to drive a racecar for Roger Penske,” said Blaney. “I am proud of what we have accomplished with the No. 12 Team Penske Ford and our ability to represent great brands like Menards, Advance Auto Parts, DEX Imaging and BODYARMOR. It’s really exciting to know I will continue to drive for this organization in 2021 and beyond. I am fortunate to be surrounded by extremely talented people throughout the organization and have no doubt we will continue to compete for wins and championships well into the future.”

Through the first three races of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Blaney leads the Cup Series point standings and has found himself in contention to be in a position to win in each event – which included a second-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500.  He also leads the series with a 6.3-average running positio

*Courtesy Ford Performance

MOORESVILLE, NC – April 27, 2020 – NASCAR officials gave driver Ryan Newman medical clearance Monday, officially opening the path to his return to the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford once the 2020 Cup Series season resumes.

Newman indicated in a Sunday interview on FOX that he is healthy following a crash while battling Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin for the lead on the final lap of the 2020 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. He spent less than two days in the hospital before his release, walking out of Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, with his daughters by his side.

The 42-year-old driver initially announced he was ready to return to competition during Sunday’s FOX Sports broadcast of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Talladega Superspeedway. The next necessary step came Monday with a one-sentence update from NASCAR: “Ryan Newman has been medically cleared to resume all racing activities.”

For drivers to receive clearance to return to racing after an injury, NASCAR relies on medical experts to decide when a driver may resume activity without restrictions, which he has now received.

“That’s the absolute plan, for sure,” Newman told FOX Sports when asked about his return. “I’m healthy. I’ve been blessed with another layer of this situation giving me more time to heal and look forward to being back in the seat, for sure.”

*NASCAR Media

How Universal Technical Institute, Roush Yates Engines and Mitsubishi Materials USA shaped the regions’ automotive industry with their CNC Machining Program and partnerships

AVONDALE, AZ – March 9, 2020 – Ford Performance wins at Phoenix Raceway with Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick coming in first and second. Logano drove the Team Penske Pennzoil Mustang to Team Penske’s 122nd NASCAR Cup Series race win while recording a milestone 200th win for the Ford FR9 engine, since it’s racing debut in 2009 with Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines.

*Photography courtesy of NASCAR Media & Ford Performance

MOORESVILLE, NC – April 28, 2020 – “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”

Those words from Henry Ford came in 1909 shortly after he decided the Ford Motor Company would only make the Model T, which was produced from 1908-1927 and became the most popular vehicle of the time with more than 15 million units sold.

Nobody can know for sure if Joey Logano and Mr. Ford would have agreed on every issue that faced the company during its formative years, but they would have definitely been on the same page with that specific statement.

All one needs to do is look at some of the cars Logano has accumulated in recent years to realize he has a love affair with the color.

“Everything I own is black.  I like black,” said Logano, who counts a 1924 Model T and 2017 Ford GT among the personal favorites in his growing collection.  “I guess I fell in love when I bought the Ford GT with the heritage scheme on it, the matte black exterior, silver stripe and the number on the door.  I kind of fell in love with that.”

He even went so far as to put the two Ford icons nose-to-nose in his driveway a couple of weeks ago as a way of showing to himself that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

“Driving them is obviously different, and so is the way they’re built with the technology and the geometry of looking at it, but you still have four tires and there’s still air in those tires,” reasoned Logano, who counts the F-350 Tremor as his preferred daily driver.  “Yeah, your suspension pieces are all different, but it still has a steering wheel, it’s still got a motor.  There’s just a lot of similarities that are still being used today even though the cars couldn’t be more different.”

To illustrate that point, he took wife Brittany and two-year-old son Hudson for a drive through their neighborhood, starting first with what Hudson calls the “T-ride”.

“We drive the Model T around like it’s a golf cart.  It puts a smile on everyone’s face and we love it,” said Logano, who gave the Godfather of Ford Performance, Edsel B. Ford II, a ride in it through the streets of Concord, NC, a few years ago.   “And then after that I was cleaning my GT and I was like, ‘I’ll take this around the neighborhood real quick’ and it was like, ‘Whoa.  Different worlds.’  But it was fun and it’s cool.

“People look at you funny when you’re trying to crank start your Model T.  You get some funny looks, but it’s fun for me,” continued Logano.  “I think the reason why I love it so much is that it’s challenging to drive.  If you drive a race car every day, driving a street car is really, really simple and boring – like really boring.  If you drive a GT around, it’s just tempting you to go to jail.  I still want a challenge, but I don’t want to go to jail, which makes the Model T the best car I have.”

It may be the best one, but it’s far from the only one.

For instance, he owns a 1961 Ford Econoline truck that he bought from a security guard at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  He restored it by lowering the height, painting the outside matte white and then trimming the dash, steering wheel and tires out in lime green.  The final touch was installing lime green shag carpet in the truck’s bed.

“I went camping with Hudson in our backyard the other night because I put a pop-up camper that’s all screened in on the back of it,” said Logano, who has two wins in four starts in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.  “We had a little TV and watched the Little Rascals in there, and we camped out at least until 11:40. That’s as far as we got, but it was fun.  That stuff is cool to me.”

Next, is a 1991 Foxbody Mustang that has everything Logano loves in a car, except for the color.

“It’s royal blue and it’s way too blue for me, but outside of that this car is amazing,” he said.  “It’s totally re-done.  It’s got a big old supercharger on it.  Honestly, it can give the GT a run for its money.  It’s a real car – roll cage, the whole nine yards.  It’s awesome.  Bang for the buck, that’s the best car I’ve got.”

And then he’s got his toys, like the Factory Five drift truck he helped build last year and the recently completed Mach 1, or Mach 22 as it was dubbed by Car Kings on Discovery Channel earlier this month, that have the same matte black paint scheme as his GT.

But when one project ends in Logano’s world another begins and, thanks to NASCAR on NBC reporter Rutledge Wood, it’s now sitting right in front of him.

“He’s been hounding me to buy this thing for two years.  For two years he’s been trying to sell this truck, and I finally got him down enough to where he just caved,” laughed Logano.  “So now I have this truck and it needs a lot of work, but I just think it would be cool going to a car show or something with it one day.”

What color does he plan on painting it?

Any color he wants.

*Courtesy Ford Performance